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Design Grow Sell: A Guide to Starting and Running a Successful Gardening Business from Your Home
Book
This book is aimed at garden lovers and anyone keen to turn their gardening talent into a business....
The Little Book of Cacti and Other Succulents
Book
Succulents and cacti make the perfect indoor plant pets. Inexpensive to purchase, easy to care for...
Tartine Bread
Chad Robertson and Elizabeth Prueitt
8.0
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A master formula for basic bread with many variations forms the backbone of the book, which also...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Shucked Apart in Books
Feb 25, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)
Hunting for the Oyster Seed Thief
Julia Snowden should be focusing on getting the last-minute tasks done to open the summer season of her family’s clambake, but when her boyfriend asks her to help his friend, Andie, Julia can’t resist. Andie runs an oyster farm not too far away, and someone has just stolen $35,000 worth of new inventory from her. Andie seems reluctant to give Julia any suspects, however, so it isn’t that surprising that Julia hasn’t made much progress when she finds a dead body. Is the robbery connected to the murder?
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
Merissa (12055 KP) rated The Fae King (Beyond The Mist, #4) in Books
Aug 17, 2022
Fast-paced and full of action
THE FAE KING is the fourth book in the Beyond The Mist series and we have a prophecy, a light fae King, a dark fae princess, and a mad elf prince!
This is an action-packed story that goes from enemies to lovers, sort of. Trevan and Amber don't actually hate each other - or at least, not until Trevan acts like a jerk as he allows his fears to reign. Their families have a bad history, with both sides at fault. They hate the thought of each other, and their actions out of fear only seem to compound that. It takes the mad elf prince and the prophecy to turn their hate to love and, once it does, they are unstoppable.
Fast-paced and smoothly flowing, this story skims across the surface, leaving me wanting more. I loved seeing the brothers, Storm, and Harper and want to see how the kingdom fares going forward.
I enjoyed this read and think it certainly adds to the series. It can be read as a standalone, but it makes more sense to have read them in order. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is an action-packed story that goes from enemies to lovers, sort of. Trevan and Amber don't actually hate each other - or at least, not until Trevan acts like a jerk as he allows his fears to reign. Their families have a bad history, with both sides at fault. They hate the thought of each other, and their actions out of fear only seem to compound that. It takes the mad elf prince and the prophecy to turn their hate to love and, once it does, they are unstoppable.
Fast-paced and smoothly flowing, this story skims across the surface, leaving me wanting more. I loved seeing the brothers, Storm, and Harper and want to see how the kingdom fares going forward.
I enjoyed this read and think it certainly adds to the series. It can be read as a standalone, but it makes more sense to have read them in order. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12055 KP) rated Breathe (Breakers Hockey #7) in Books
Jul 17, 2023
BREATHE is the seventh book in the Breakers Hockey series and this time it's Theo's turn. He's the playboy of the team, never wanting to settle down. And he has had some major issues with Eva from the very beginning. We now find out why.
Eva and Theo are similar in many ways, and both of them hide their hurt behind walls a mile high. It's only after they've sniped and snarled at each for a while that they begin to realise there might be more between them than just snark. This was a great story showing just how badly family can hurt and also heal.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its arc, as it moved from enemies, to friends, and then to lovers. Eva and Theo are protective of each other, which I loved. Walker and Dommie have a bit of a sneak story in here. I'm hoping they get to tell their story in full. The pacing is perfect and the little signs of affection - Theo and Eva's love language - is dotted throughout, making this a wonderful read with plenty of emotions.
A great addition to the series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 14, 2023
Eva and Theo are similar in many ways, and both of them hide their hurt behind walls a mile high. It's only after they've sniped and snarled at each for a while that they begin to realise there might be more between them than just snark. This was a great story showing just how badly family can hurt and also heal.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its arc, as it moved from enemies, to friends, and then to lovers. Eva and Theo are protective of each other, which I loved. Walker and Dommie have a bit of a sneak story in here. I'm hoping they get to tell their story in full. The pacing is perfect and the little signs of affection - Theo and Eva's love language - is dotted throughout, making this a wonderful read with plenty of emotions.
A great addition to the series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 14, 2023
Annie Chanse (15 KP) rated Wintersong in Books
May 25, 2018
It was okay.
Contains spoilers, click to show
[Warning: May contain spoilers]
I SOMEWHAT enjoyed this book. It is very much like "Labyrinth" meets "Beauty and the Beast." The premise is a bit too much like "Labyrinth" for me to be entirely comfortable calling this a "unique" book. Goblin King -- thin, blonde, mischievous Goblin King nonetheless -- comes to earth for a bride. A game ensues in which the stakes are as follows: the girl wins, she gets to take her sister and go home, leaving the Goblin King behind forever. The Goblin King wins, he gets to marry the girl. Sound familiar? Yeah. I thought it might.
I was a little turned off by this at first, but the author quickly adds in enough individuality to make the book her own and separate from the "Labyrinth." I don't want to give away any key plot points, so I am not going to go much further in the description of the book.
I will say, however, that the book is very prettily written, and that music is prominently featured throughout. Thankfully, the author writes music well, and it makes the book quite lovely to read, image-wise.
It is listed as a Young Adult fiction book, but I'd say that is not quite the right categorization for this book. The sex scenes are a little too descriptive for YA, and I worry about the poor librarian who is going to get chewed out because a religious mother catches her thirteen year old daughter reading it. Ha.
The plot was okay, if a little overdone, and the pacing was nice; it flowed well. There were no draggy bits, and nothing seemed too rushed. I'm not sure how I feel about the relationship between Liesl (the girl) and the Goblin King, which is, at times, very Beauty and the Beast and at other times, more Joker and Harley Quinn. :-/ I wouldn't say it was the healthiest of young marriages.
Still, overall, it is a solid 3.25-3.5 star book. I recommend it to lovers of romantic fantasy. Not ideal for hardcore fantasy geeks, though.
Oh, and also, if I see the word "entire" again, as in "I gave myself to him, entire" or "I am Elisabeth, entire" or "He finally gave himself to me, his body, his soul, his trust. Der Erlkonig, entire" one more time, I might punch someone. The author really needs to get over that little quirk. I would hate to see it repeated in the sequel, since she made use of it about ten bazillion times in the debut novel, and she has completely lost her right to EVER use the word "entire" again.
I SOMEWHAT enjoyed this book. It is very much like "Labyrinth" meets "Beauty and the Beast." The premise is a bit too much like "Labyrinth" for me to be entirely comfortable calling this a "unique" book. Goblin King -- thin, blonde, mischievous Goblin King nonetheless -- comes to earth for a bride. A game ensues in which the stakes are as follows: the girl wins, she gets to take her sister and go home, leaving the Goblin King behind forever. The Goblin King wins, he gets to marry the girl. Sound familiar? Yeah. I thought it might.
I was a little turned off by this at first, but the author quickly adds in enough individuality to make the book her own and separate from the "Labyrinth." I don't want to give away any key plot points, so I am not going to go much further in the description of the book.
I will say, however, that the book is very prettily written, and that music is prominently featured throughout. Thankfully, the author writes music well, and it makes the book quite lovely to read, image-wise.
It is listed as a Young Adult fiction book, but I'd say that is not quite the right categorization for this book. The sex scenes are a little too descriptive for YA, and I worry about the poor librarian who is going to get chewed out because a religious mother catches her thirteen year old daughter reading it. Ha.
The plot was okay, if a little overdone, and the pacing was nice; it flowed well. There were no draggy bits, and nothing seemed too rushed. I'm not sure how I feel about the relationship between Liesl (the girl) and the Goblin King, which is, at times, very Beauty and the Beast and at other times, more Joker and Harley Quinn. :-/ I wouldn't say it was the healthiest of young marriages.
Still, overall, it is a solid 3.25-3.5 star book. I recommend it to lovers of romantic fantasy. Not ideal for hardcore fantasy geeks, though.
Oh, and also, if I see the word "entire" again, as in "I gave myself to him, entire" or "I am Elisabeth, entire" or "He finally gave himself to me, his body, his soul, his trust. Der Erlkonig, entire" one more time, I might punch someone. The author really needs to get over that little quirk. I would hate to see it repeated in the sequel, since she made use of it about ten bazillion times in the debut novel, and she has completely lost her right to EVER use the word "entire" again.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Forsaken in Books
Jan 8, 2018
Great Horror Elements, Plot needs more
The horror aspects of this book was really good. It was creepy enough to give you the heebie jeebies and anything to do with strange looking paintings and children always make things more creepier than they should be. (The Shining, anyone?)
I can’t really say I like Daniel as a character. He had it coming to him. It was an awful cruel thing he did and he deserved every last bit of it. None of the characters really stood out here since Daniel was really the center of the plot, but wow Karina. You’re just some kind of special aren’t you? She played on Daniel’s sympathy until he realized she’s completely bat crazy and well, you walked into that one didn’t you? This is what happens when you want the cake and the cherry on top. Just don’t do it. However tempting that is.
Plot wise, it’s pretty entertaining and good stuff for a horror book. It does come off as reading a horror movie in print which is pretty good and frankly, if this ever was a movie, I’d probably watch it and enjoy it better. The ending was great and is everything you would expect in a horror movie or book. There’s mystery elements into the book which does not affect the story that much and adds more intrigue.
Although the horror elements were good, the execution of the story could be better. I thought certain aspects of the plot were just there for convenience. There could have been more to the Mabel plot arc. It was just planted there with no real explanation except it was given about 2-3 pages but no real contribution. I wish there was more to it. It would have helped, and could have made the story much better.
Despite some of the shortcomings of the book, it was an enjoyable read. It was creepy enough to give you the chills and the ending was what you would expect in this genre. Recommended to horror lovers!
I can’t really say I like Daniel as a character. He had it coming to him. It was an awful cruel thing he did and he deserved every last bit of it. None of the characters really stood out here since Daniel was really the center of the plot, but wow Karina. You’re just some kind of special aren’t you? She played on Daniel’s sympathy until he realized she’s completely bat crazy and well, you walked into that one didn’t you? This is what happens when you want the cake and the cherry on top. Just don’t do it. However tempting that is.
Plot wise, it’s pretty entertaining and good stuff for a horror book. It does come off as reading a horror movie in print which is pretty good and frankly, if this ever was a movie, I’d probably watch it and enjoy it better. The ending was great and is everything you would expect in a horror movie or book. There’s mystery elements into the book which does not affect the story that much and adds more intrigue.
Although the horror elements were good, the execution of the story could be better. I thought certain aspects of the plot were just there for convenience. There could have been more to the Mabel plot arc. It was just planted there with no real explanation except it was given about 2-3 pages but no real contribution. I wish there was more to it. It would have helped, and could have made the story much better.
Despite some of the shortcomings of the book, it was an enjoyable read. It was creepy enough to give you the chills and the ending was what you would expect in this genre. Recommended to horror lovers!
Anna is an American living in Switzerland for nearly a decade, thanks to her marriage to Bruno, a Swiss native. They have three young children and on the outside, Anna has a idyllic life - a loving husband, a nice home, beautiful children. But inside, she is wrecked with turmoil and depression. She feels isolated in Switzerland, a country where she still barely knows the language despite having resided there for so long. Anna enrolls in German classes and also embarks on a series of affairs, but nothing seems to appease what ails her.
I had read positive reviews of this book in several places and decided to give it a try. It was slow going at first, and I almost set it aside in exchange for some books that interested me more. I won't lie - I wish I had. There's just something about this book that irritated me to no end. It's true that Anna is not a particularly likable character - she cheats on her husband and doesn't seem to give much to her children - but that's not exactly it. I almost wish the book had started earlier in Anna's life, so we could potentially understand why she'd become this unstable, depressed housewife, or hausfrau, as our title indicates. We're told she hates living in Switzerland, but is that really it? She's surrounded by a stock of predictable characters - her callous husband, her socialite friend, her oblivious lovers... no one in the novel seems like a fully-formed character and, as such, I had trouble really caring about what happens to them. I probably felt the worst for Anna's three kids.
There were definitely parts that hurt me to read, but overall, the book seemed flat and pointless. The ending irritated me. I'd give it a 2.5 stars overall, but still - rather than having sympathy for Anna - I found myself annoyed with her and the entire book.
I had read positive reviews of this book in several places and decided to give it a try. It was slow going at first, and I almost set it aside in exchange for some books that interested me more. I won't lie - I wish I had. There's just something about this book that irritated me to no end. It's true that Anna is not a particularly likable character - she cheats on her husband and doesn't seem to give much to her children - but that's not exactly it. I almost wish the book had started earlier in Anna's life, so we could potentially understand why she'd become this unstable, depressed housewife, or hausfrau, as our title indicates. We're told she hates living in Switzerland, but is that really it? She's surrounded by a stock of predictable characters - her callous husband, her socialite friend, her oblivious lovers... no one in the novel seems like a fully-formed character and, as such, I had trouble really caring about what happens to them. I probably felt the worst for Anna's three kids.
There were definitely parts that hurt me to read, but overall, the book seemed flat and pointless. The ending irritated me. I'd give it a 2.5 stars overall, but still - rather than having sympathy for Anna - I found myself annoyed with her and the entire book.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Montgomery Schnauzer P.I. and the Case of the Stealthy Cat Burglar in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Okay, upfront confession.. I am someone who spent 9 years of his life learning/experiencing the joy that is owning (or, maybe in my case, it would be <i>owned by</i> a Mini Schnauzer! They were some of the best years of my life, and it helped me realize how awesome the breed is! So, that said, when I saw this book offered for my Kindle, I had to get it!
The author lets you know upfront that it is a book for young adults, but that it could be enjoyed by parents, or even those who opted not to be parents. Either way, I was kinda prepared when I went into it. What I was <u>not</u> prepared for was how much I enjoyed the book!
Forner is clearly a fellow Schnauzer enthusiast, as well as being a parent to one. It shows in the way that he writes for the character of Monty, coming off as someone who has had experience with one, as well as paying good attention to their behaviors.
I sometimes like to read before going to sleep, but unfortunately, it tends to leave me waking up the next morning having to re-read what I read the night before, as it was just too much to remember after I fell asleep. With ...THE CASE OF THE STEALTHY CAT BURGLAR, I was provided with a suitable way to a) have an enjoyable read before bed and b) have a book that I could read a couple chapters before bed and still be able to remember them in the one. Bravo, good sir!
Look, this is a great little read! Only folks who probably wouldn't enjoy are cat lovers and people without a soul! Now, that's enough from me, go get this book and be prepared to enjoy the heck out of it!
Now, where is Monty's next adventure, hmm? ;)
The author lets you know upfront that it is a book for young adults, but that it could be enjoyed by parents, or even those who opted not to be parents. Either way, I was kinda prepared when I went into it. What I was <u>not</u> prepared for was how much I enjoyed the book!
Forner is clearly a fellow Schnauzer enthusiast, as well as being a parent to one. It shows in the way that he writes for the character of Monty, coming off as someone who has had experience with one, as well as paying good attention to their behaviors.
I sometimes like to read before going to sleep, but unfortunately, it tends to leave me waking up the next morning having to re-read what I read the night before, as it was just too much to remember after I fell asleep. With ...THE CASE OF THE STEALTHY CAT BURGLAR, I was provided with a suitable way to a) have an enjoyable read before bed and b) have a book that I could read a couple chapters before bed and still be able to remember them in the one. Bravo, good sir!
Look, this is a great little read! Only folks who probably wouldn't enjoy are cat lovers and people without a soul! Now, that's enough from me, go get this book and be prepared to enjoy the heck out of it!
Now, where is Monty's next adventure, hmm? ;)